Vacuum attachments for barber&#39;s shears



1967 R. PADGETT ETAL 3,295,200

VACUUM ATTACHMENTS FOR BARBER'S SHEARS Filed July 10, 1965 INVENT'ORS COM PTON H. CLARK RAYM 0ND PADG ETT THEIR ATTORNE United States Patent y" 3,295,200 VACUUM ATTACHMENTS FOR BARBERS SHEARS Raymond Padgett and Compton H. Clark, both of 311 W. Broad St., Cookeville, Tenn. 38501 Filed June 10, 1965, Ser. No. 462,915 6 Claims. (Cl. 30-133) This invention relates to an attachment for the usual motor operated hair clippers for the purpose of creating a partial vacuum or suction at the cutting blades of the hair clippers for drawing the cut hair away from the cutting blades while the clippers are in operation.

For several years it has been realized that severed hairs resulting from the hair cutting operation have been particularly bothersome both to barbers and to customers. Small cut hairs accumulate under barbers fingernails and extremely small hairs have been known to find their way into barbers mouths around their teeth. Cut hairs. falling on a customers nose, ears and around his neck inside the collar are especially irritating. In addition many small children do not like hair gowns, and neck strips. In summertime these are uncomfortable even to adults.

With a view toward overcoming these barbering problems, efforts have been made to provide vacuum means whereby hair is conveniently sucked in at the point of cutting of the clipper cutting blades to be drawn through a suction tube to a disposal point. Various vacuum attachments worthy of universal adoption and use are in existence. However for one reason or another their efforts have not resulted in widespread acceptance or endorsement.

An object of this invention, therefore, is the provision of a vacuum operated attachment for barbers clippers which draws the cut hair from the area of the clippers to a container, rendering barbering more sanitary for .both the barber and the customer.

Another object is to provide a vacuum operated device capable of attachment to all electric clippers but which nevertheless is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a vacuum attachment for barbers clippers which does not make necessary a change in the way the clippers are held by the barber.

Exemplary of the state of the art are those vacuum attachments which are contoured to fit the barber clippers.

These attachments of course increase the size of the body of clippers making it uncomfortable to hold and somewhat more difficult to use. This type of vacuum device is either integral with the clippers, forming a section or part of the top thereof, being substituted for the upper part of the clipper casing or secured to the top casing at several points along the surface thereof.

Other vacuum attachment devices are adapted to be bolted flush against the top of the clippers directly behind the clipper cutting blades. The position makes it necessary for theoutlet tube or back end of the device to lie along the body of the clippers, getting in the way of the user. We believe that the change in the manner of holding the clippers or the obstruction of vision of many vacuum attachments may well be the reason such devices have not been widely accepted.

Another reason prior art devices have not attained wider use is believed due to the fact that many barbers use diiferent clippers for different jobs, usually using two clippers during a normal hair cutting operation. The known vacuum attachment devices are so constructed that they either fit a particular clipper or are bolted thereto. As a consequence it is not possible to switch the device from one hair trimmer to another.

3,295,200 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 While the ability to hold the clippers in the customary manner and the need to use different devices on different clippers are important, we believe that the biggest drawback in known vacuum attachments is their fixed distance from the clipper cutting blades. It should be possible to change this distance when conditions require such a change. Thus the vacuum attachment should be as close as possible to the cutting blades, but this distance may depend upon the nature of a customers skin. An adjustment for a young person frequently is unsuitable for an older or stouter person whose skin is not as tightly drawn. Oftentimes suction of ones skin because the nozzle is too close for a particular individual means that the clippers cannot be used. According to this invention the distance between the vacuum attachment and the cutting blades can be varied. Consequently the vacuum clippers contemplated herein can be employed in all situations. The invention thus provides means for removing hair by vacuum action which is cut by the clippers, through the use of an attachment which includes a nozzle adapted to connect to a flexible hose leading to a source of pertial vacuum, and a plate secured to the underside of the nozzle and extending beyond the sides of the nozzle, in combination with a clip for attachment of the plate to the clipper body.

The vacuum operated hair clippers and the advantages derived from their use can perhaps best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is one well-known type of barbers clippers showing the entire invention.

FIG. 2 shows the clip of this invention attached to another well-known type of clippers.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one type of clip of the invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a different type of clip.

FIG. 7 is a nozzle of this invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, it can be seen that the vacuum attachment device of this invention entails a separable nozzle 2 and clip 4. The clip 4, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, will be described first. Clip 4 has a gene-rally elongated base 6 contoured to fit the top casing or other surface of clippers 8 or 10. The clip .of FIG. 1 thus has a flat base at 6a whereas the base 6b shown in FIG. 2 is slightly arcu-ate. For attachment to the clipper body, clip 4 contain holes to match bolts in the upper clipper casing near the clipper cutting blades 12. The most widely used clippers contain either one or two bolts in the clipper head. For those clippers containing one bolt, a clip 4 having only a single hole 14 is necessary (FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). For other clippers having two bolts clip 4" is made provided with holes 16 and 18 for the bolts. It is to be noted that holes 16a and 18a are slightly elongated or elliptical. This shape permits use of the clip on two clipper models whose bolts vary slightly in their distance apart. Upper holes 161) and 18b permit a screw driver to be used in securing the clip to the clipper body. Clip 4 can of course be secured to the clipper body by any of the other known means such as welding, clamping and the like.

Integral with elongated base 6, clip 4 is provided with sides 20 extending vertically therefrom. The sides are flanged laterally inwardly to form guide ribs 22 and 24 projecting toward each other. Spring means such as leaf spring or resilient blade 26, or a coil spring having a plate secured to the top thereof, operates with guide ribs 22 and 24 to provide for slidable insertion and retention of a plate therebetween. In lieu of a spring, two sets of ribs forming a groove on each side for insertion of a plate, can also be employed, although less desirably.

It has been pointed out that an advantage of this invention is that no change need be made in the manner in which the electric clippers are held. This advantage is accomplished by providing an angle d between the vacuum nozzle and the clippers so that a barbers hand will fit therebetween. To achieve the angle each guide rib 22 and 24 is obliquely inclined relative to the clip base, the inclination being toward cutting head 12. The inclination forms an angle relative to the clipper body permitting insertion of the hand under the outlet end 28 of vacuum nozzle 2. However the angle must be less than a right angle; otherwise vision is obstructed during barbering.

Nozzle 2 of the combination of this invention can be seen in FIG. 7. Generally speaking this nozzle is in the shape of a depressed funnel 29, being flared at its inlet end 30 near the cutting edges to cover the proper suction area. Outlet end 28 of nozzle 2 is tubular, being adapted for attachment thereto of a vacuum hose 34 (FIG. 1). A metal or plastic plate 36 is welded, glued, or otherwise attached to the underside of nozzle 29. Plate 36 allows the nozzle to be slidably received in clip 4 beneath guide ribs 22 and 24. If desired plate 36 is provided with stop 38, engaging resilient blade 26, preventing the nozzle from touching the cutting blades (see FIG. 1), but retaining the nozzle in its closest position. From this position the nozzle can be moved back as adjustment is required, being held in place by the spring action of leaf 26.

It is thus seen that a vacuum attachment for clippers is provided in the form of a clip attached to the clippers, in combination with a nozzle, attached to a partial vacuum, and having a plate on its underside adapted to be slidably received by the clip. The invention as used on two clippers is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As emphasized hereinbefore a most significant feature of the vacuum attachment of this invention is that its distance from the cutting head can be varied. In addition the nozzle can be slidably removed for use on different razors. An additional advantage is that the nozzle can be slipped out of the clip and used for cleaning the collar, shoulders, or hair or loose materials such as dandruff, hair particles, dust and the like. Other uses and modifications will occur to one skilled in the art, and such ramifications and variations are deemed to be within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. For attachment to conventional hair clippers which embody customary cutting heads at one end of an elongated hand-held body, a device for removing hair cut by the clippers by vacuum action comprising a nozzle adapted to connect to a flexible hose leading to a source of partial vacuum, and a plate secured to the underside of the nozzle, extending beyond the sides thereof, in combination with a clip for attachment to the clipper body provided with means for slidable insertion of said nozzle plate.

2. For attachment to conventional hair clippers which embody customary cutting heads at one end of an elongated hand-held body, a device for removing hair cut by the clippers by vacuum action comprising a nozzle having a laterally flared inlet end and a tubular discharge end adapted to connect to a flexible hose leading to a source of partial vacuum, and a plate secured to the underside of the nozzle and extending beyond the sides of said nozzle, in combination with a clip attachable to the clipper body in alignment with the cutting head and provided with means for slidable insertion therein of said nozzle plate and retention thereof at an angle to the body permitting insertion of the hand under the outlet nozzle end.

3. For attachment to conventional hair clippers which embody customary cutting heads at one end of an elongated hand-held body, a device for removing hair cut by the clippers by vacuum action comprising a nozzle having a laterally flared inlet end, a tubular discharge end adapted to connect to a flexible hose leading to a source of partial vacuum, and a plate secured to the underside of the nozzle and extending beyond the sides of said nozzle, in combination with a clip adapted for attachment to the clipper body, having a generally elongated base contoured to fit the top of the clipper body and having sides extending vertically therefrom and flared laterally inwardly to form guide ribs projecting toward each other for slidable insertion thereunder of said nozzle plate, each guide rib being obliquely inclined relative to the base, the inclination being toward the cutting head and spring means secured to the clip base and extending upwardly therefrom for retention of the nozzle plate.

4. The combination with conventional hair clippers of a clip attachable to conventional hair clippers, said clip having a generally U-shaped cross section with a slightly arcuate base and sides extending vertically therefrom flanged inwardly to form guide ribs projecting laterally toward each other from each side, the guide ribs being obliquely inclined relative to the clip base toward the front of said base, and a leaf spring integral with the base at the front end thereof extending upwardly to the guide ribs at its back end, and a nozzle adapted for slidable attachment in a grooved receiver comprising a depressedfunnel shaped, tapered, hollow nozzle having a plate secured to the underside thereof.

5. As an attachment for conventional hair clippers a clip attachable to conventional hair clippers, said clip having a generally U-shaped cross section with a slightly arcuate base and sides extending vertically therefrom flanged inwardly to form guide ribs projecting laterally toward each other from each side, the guide ribs being obliquely inclined relative to the clip base toward the front of said base, and a leaf spring integral with the base at the front end thereof extending upwardly to the guide ribs at its back end, and a nozzle adapted for slidable attachment in a grooved receiver comprising a depressedfunnel shaped, tapered, hollow nozzle having a plate secured to the underside thereof.

6. A clip attachable to conventional hair clippers, said clip having a generally U-shaped cross section with a slightly arcuate base and sides extending vertically therefrom flanged inwardly to form guide ribs projecting laterally toward each other from each side, the guide ribs being obliquely inclined relative to the clip base toward the front of said base, and a leaf spring integral with the base at the front end thereof extending upwardly to the guide ribs at its back end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,723,828 8/1929 Von Sandt 15-301 X 2,696,666 12/1954 Snead 30l33 2,697,876 12/1954 Blanchard 30-133 2,946,122 7/1960 Gaskins 30--133 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. G. WEIDENFEL A i tan E m er. 

1. FOR ATTACHMENT TO CONVENTIONAL HAIR CLIPPERS WHICH EMBODY CUSTOMARY CUTTING HEADS AT ONE END OF AN ELONGATED HAND-HELD BODY, A DEVICE FOR REMOVING HAIR CUT BY THE CLIPPERS BY VACUUM ACTION COMPRISING A NOZZLE ADAPTED TO CONNECT TO A FLEXIBLE HOSE LEADING TO A SOURCE OF PARTIAL VACUUM, AND A PLATE SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE NOZZLE, EXTENDING BEYOND THE SIDES THEREOF, IN COMBINATION WITH A CLIP FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE CLIPPER BODY PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR SLIDABLE INSERTION OF SAID NOZZLE PLATE. 